Tony Abbott denies making Jerusalem policy on the run

TEXAS: Tony Abbott has denied making policy on the run regarding East Jerusalem and predicted that Arab and Muslim countries will ultimately act in their own best interests and keep trade flowing despite Canberra’s re-classification of the Israeli-held sector as “disputed” rather than “occupied” territory.

“There has been no change in policy … there’s been a terminological clarification,” he said from Houston, Texas, on the penultimate stopover of his 11-day four-country tour.

The Prime Minister also used his final media appearance in the US to reassure President Barack Obama, with whom he met just days ago, that Australia stood with him and respected the time being taken to determine a response to the security crisis engulfing Iraq.

That followed attacks from Republicans such as former presidential hopeful John McCain, who called for the resignations of the Head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin E. Dempsey, as well as the President’s national security adviser and all of her deputies, as he accused the White House of dithering when the emergency in Iraq called for immediate airstrikes.

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On East Jerusalem, Mr Abbott flatly rejected the suggestion being made in sections of the Muslim and Jewish worlds that Australia had changed policy.

“Look this is an area where people are inevitably extremely sensitive and my understanding is that there have been some discussions between some ambassadors in Canberra and the department,” he acknowledged.

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With Muslim countries protesting against the change and threatening cessation of Australian farm exports, particularly wheat, Mr Abbott revealed several ambassadors would meet with Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop “in a couple of days’ time”.

“We are very happy to clarify the position,” he said before dismissing threats of trade bans and the like.

“On trade, people trade with us because we’re a good trading partner ... and nothing that’s happened in the past couple of days has altered that.”

However, he confirmed the decision to adopt the term “disputed” in relation to the city claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians as their rightful capital was the result of an argument in the Senate.

“We absolutely refuse to refer to occupied East Jerusalem, that was what the argument in the Senate between Senator Brandis and the Greens was all about but there’s been no change in policy, simply a terminological clarification, we strongly support a two-state solution, we continue to support resolutions 242 and 338, we’re giving I think $56 million in aid this year to Palestine, no change in policy.”

But while Mr Abbott maintains his “nothing to see here” stance, it appears even the Israelis believe Australia has changed its policy lauding its “courage” in doing so.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remarked that it was refreshing to see such clarity from another government.

“These are new things, I certainly appreciate this stand by the Australian government and I am certain that all those who want to see an agreement here based on peace, justice and truth – and it is impossible to build peace based on historic lies – would agree,” he said.

Mr Abbott played down the dispute, telling journalists they were “trying to make more than is” pointing instead to “particular sensitivities” in the Middle-East with the explosion of violence in Syria and Iraq at the hands of the ultra-militant Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS.

He said ISIS was “too extreme even for al-Qaeda” and was conducting summary executions and decapitations.

Mr Abbott said the government was aware there were a number of Australians in Iraq and indicated that he and Ms Bishop would be speaking about that “in the days ahead”.

He said he had discussed the Iraq crisis explicitly with the President and intelligence chiefs in Washington.

“The important thing … is to respond appropriately and usefully, you don’t want to make an incredibly difficult situation worse,” he said.